Seam finishing apparatus

ABSTRACT

Tandem arrangement of sewing machine and ironing mechanism in which the latter has a positively driven, thin, heat transfer belt heated by retractable heat pod(s) brought into engagement with belt only when belt speed exceeds predetermined rate, and conveying members for which drive is derived from sewing machine transmitter in an arrangement in which the ironing mechanism operates only during sewing. Includes an adjustable speed transmission and additional mechanism by which operator can reduce speed or suspend operation of conveying members while continuing sewing to provide slack in fabric between sewing machine and ironing mechanism to permit negotiation of certain curved portions of garments. Ironing mechanism includes a floating buck with fabric pressing taking place between floating buck and moving heat transfer belt. Two layered bridging member connects outlet of sewing machine with inlet of ironing mechanism which permits longitudinal movement of sandwiched leadon portions of the buck and a fabric plies separator without disrupting connection. Ironing mechanism includes prepuller using feed discs magnetically coupled to drive members but mounted for vertical displacement. Feed discs have partially tapered perimeters which produce lateral skewing of rearwardly moving fabric for spreading free ply edges of fabric during ironing.

United States Patent Sigoda May -2, 1972 [54] SEAM FINISHING APPARATUS Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin [72] Inventor: Victor J. SIgoda, Great Neck, NY. Attorney jacob J Bobrow [73] Assignee: Man-Sew Corporation, New York, NY.

[57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: July 18, 1969 [60] Division of Ser. No. 643,458, June 5, 1967, Pat. No. 3,478,451, Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 481,522, Aug. 23, 1965, Pat. No. 3,372,497.

[52] US. Cl ...112/217,1l2/63,l12/12l.29, 112/136 [51] Int. Cl. ..D05b 27/00, D05b 27/10, DOSb 27/06 [58] FieldofSearch ..lI2/2l7, 63,211,214, 203, ll2/121.24,121.29,l36,147,148

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,702,271 2/1929 Rosenbaum et al ..1 12/217 X 1,988,241 1/1935 Gardner et al .ll2/12l.24X

2,109,441 2/1938 Anderson ..112/217 2,753,823 7/1956 Judelson.. ..1 12/217 3,116,705 1/1964 Kosrow.... ..ll2/l2l.29 3,435,790 4/1969 Hale ..l12/214 Tandem arrangement of sewing machine and ironing mechanism in which the latter has a positively driven, thin, heat transfer belt heated by retractable heat pod(s) brought into engagement with belt only when belt speed exceeds predetermined rate, and conveying members for which drive is derived from sewing machine transmitter in an arrangement in which the ironing mechanism operates only during sewing. Includes an adjustable speed transmission and additional mechanism by which operator can reduce speed or suspend operation of conveying members while continuing sewing to provide slack in fabric between sewing machine and ironing mechanism to permit negotiation of certain curved portions of garments. Ironing mechanism includes a floating buck with fabric pressing taking place between floating buck and moving heat transfer belt. Two layered bridging member connects outlet of sewing machine with inlet of ironing mechanism which permits longitudinal movement of sandwiched leadon portions of the buck and a fabric plies separator without disrupting connection. Ironing mechanism includes prepuller using feed discs magnetically coupled to drive members but mounted for vertical displacement. Feed discs have partially tapered perimeters which produce lateral skewing of rearwardly moving fabric for spreading free ply edges of fabric during ironing.

10 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures Patented May 2, 1972 9 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. l /c re d. 5/6006 ATI'OPMS Patented May 2, 1972 3,559,537

9 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVEN TOR. were? d. $76004 Patented May 2, 1972 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR l/ gro (J SIG-O04 Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,537

9 Sheets-Sheet 5 i :11 El INVENTOR. l/mrog J- 66004 168a 198 BY Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,537

I 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. V/cra d. 6/6004 BY 9 v, g

Patented May 2,1972

9 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVIiN'I'OR. M m/9 d- SIGOD/I Patented May 2, 1972 3,559,537

9 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVEN'N/R. Mara? d. 5/6004 AWOWVC) Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,537

9 Sheets-Sheet U INVENTOR. V/croe d S/G-ODA SEAM FINISHING APPARATUS This application is a division of application, Ser. No. 643,458, filed June 5, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,478,451 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 481,522, filed Aug. 23, 1965, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,497. Those applications concern improvements in seam ironing mechanisms capable of use independently of, but preferably with, sewing machines to produce pressed open sewn seams such as are found in mens and women's trousers and slacks, skirts, and sleeve jackets. The improvements herein reside in the cooperation of the ironing mechanism with the sewing machine.

Features and advantages of the apparatus disclosed herein will become apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of the sewing machine and the ironing mechanism in tandem arrangement as they appear when operating in combination; showing a version of the ironing mechanism which is mounted so that it inclines upwardly away from the sewing machine;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing the preheating arrangement for the heat transfer belt; and belts which convey the unpressed portion of the garment section;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inlet portion of the iron ing mechanism without the main horizontal conveying belts, showing the upper and lower front feed pulleys and the magnetically retained rollers driven thereby; and also showing the free ply edges separator and its support members; the heat transfer belt and its preheating radiator; the steam supply solenoid valve and the adjustable valve for regulating the amount of steam supplied to the steam nozzle;

FIG. 4 is a view partly in section showing the structure of the upper front drive pulley and its companion magnetically retained roller; and also showing the manner in which they cooperate to draw the sewn garment section from the sewing machine to the inlet portions of the buck and separator as the garment section travels to the ironing members;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of fragments of the upper front feed pulley and its companion magnetically retained roller showing in exaggerated scale the taper on a portion of the perimeter of the roller;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 3 representative of the early stages of the separation of the sewn garment section as it passes over the inlet portion of the buck and of the initial separation of the free ply edges by the inlet portion of the separator as the garment plies are being drawn along such inlet portions by coaction of the upper and lower feed belts wrapped around the front set of pulleys, and by their companion magnetically retained upper and lower rollers respectively;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a later stage of separation of the garment plies and of the free ply edges;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view at a still later stage;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the free ply edges fully separated and folded back in opposed relationship, the buck with the fabric of the garment section wrapped about it, and the upper and lower large drive rollers bearing against the outer surface of the fabric and in contact through the fabric with the large roller of one of the buck inserts for driving the internal buck belt; and also showing one of the series of small pressure rollers of the buck inserts which maintain the outer run of the internal belt in ironing contact with the fabric of the garment section, and through the fabric, urged toward the metal heat transfer belt and the heat pod; and also showing the lip or projection which extends longitudinally in the buck, in its normal spaced relationship with a portion of an insert which can shift the buck frame laterally by coming into contact therewith;

FIG. 10 is a detail view of a fragment of one type of ironed seam with the free edges folded in opposed relation as it appears after emerging from the apparatus;

FIG. 1 l is a similar view of another type of seam;

FIG. I2 is a detail view of the bridging member which guides the sewn garment section emerging from the sewing machine onto the inlet portions of the buck and separator;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken on line 13-13 of FIG. 12 indicating the overlapping sandwich arrangement of the outlet portions of the bridging member and the inlet portions of the buck and separator;

FIG. 14 is an elevational view showing the variable speed transmission means which can be selectively actuated by the operator to suspend or reduce operating speed of the ironing mechanism without affecting the operating speed of the sewing machine;

FIG. 15 is a view in plan of the mechanism shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a representational view of the common drive means for the sewing machine and ironing mechanism;

FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of a modification of the arrangement shown in FIG. 21 of the parent case for engaging one or more of the heat pods in proportion to the velocity of the garment section through the ironing mechanism.

In the following description, members and portions of the ironing mechanism and the sewing machine of this application which are similar to members and portions of the apparatus of the earlier cases have been related thereto wherever applicable, by use of the same or similar numbering.

GENERAL ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an ironing mechanism of the same general construction as that disclosed in the mentioned patented case combined with a typical industrial sewing machine I mounted in a conventional sewing table 2 which is provided with the usual sewing machine drive source 149a (FIG. 16) consisting of a combined motor and clutch assembly known in the trade as a transmitter. There is an operating connection including variable speed transmission 162 between the sewing machine and the ironing mechanism by means of which the ironing mechanism normally operates whenever the sewing machine is operated.

The sewing machine shown is representative of any conventional single seam lock or two thread chain stitcher used for joining two fabric plies together as for example in stitching the leg portion of mens trousers. The combination of sewing machine and ironing mechanism is not restricted to that type of sewing machine but could also be used with other sewing machines such as for example the type shown in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,192,887 and 3,246,620, which simultaneously produce three lines of stitching, one being the same as that produced by the single seamer mentioned and the other two being separate and independent overcastings of each of the free ply edges. The sewing machine could also be associated with an edge pinker to finish the free ply edges with pinking.

The sewn garment section emerging from the sewing machine of whatever type, passes over the bridging arrangement indicated in FIG. 2 and shown in detail in FIGS. 12 and 13, to leadon member 186 of the buck and leadon portion 236 of the separator on the way, as indicated in FIG. 4, to being ironed between moving metal belt and moving buck belt 198 as shown in FIG. 9. It will be noted that the pressure applied during ironing is concentrated in the relatively narrow cross dimension of the outer surface of belt 198 rather than the cross dimension of the buck itself.

When the fabric of the garment section reaches the leadon member and portion, it is initially engaged by sets of upper and lower opposed feed roller members as indicated in FIG. 4 until the fabric is brought into full engagement with the upper and lower horizontally operating conveying belts shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The portions of the fabric of the garment section which become wrapped about the buck are also drawn in one vertical plane between metal belt 175 and buck belt 198 as indicated in FIG. 9, and in another substantially vertical plane by engagement of two opposed upper and lower series of large drive rollers 141 to 148, indicated in FIG. 1 and elsewhere.

As the fabric section passes over the leadon member and portion, the contoured surface of separator 235 more fully described in application, Serial No. 643,458 causes the free ply edges to fold back upon the fabric as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 and just prior to the point at which the fabric meets metal belt 175, a jet of steam is directed at the fabric. As the fabric of the garment section wrapped about the buck is drawn by the various conveying belts with the surfaces to be ironed clamped between belts 175 and 198, heat is applied to the metal belt by heat pods 205 and 220. As explained in the mentioned patented case, the heat pods are brought into engagement with the metal belt only when certain predetermined operating speeds of the conveying members are reached. In this instance, the operating speed of the sewing machine is transmitted through variable speed transmission 162.

However, by means of the mechanism shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, it is possible to continue operation of the sewing machine while either reducing the speed of or suspending operation of the conveying members of the ironing mechanism. This permits production of slack in the fabric between the ironing members and the sewing machine which allows certain types of curved portions of the garment section to be sewn despite the clamping effect of the conveying members of the ironing mechanism. Since engagement of the heat ods with the moving metal belt is dependent upon the operating speed of the conveying members, whenever the operator actuates the mechanism to either reduce speed or suspend operation of the conveying members, the heat pods are withdrawn. This prevents burning or scorching of the fabric at such times.

The fabric of the garment section leaving the conveying members which draw it between the ironing members is engaged by other sets of vertical and horizontal post pulling members which operate at a somewhat faster rate than the first sets of conveying members. This is more fully described in application, Ser. No. 643,458. The difference in speed causes tightening of the freshly ironed fabric. Just before the fabric emerges from the first sets of conveying members, a blast of cold air is directed at the still warm, taut fabric to set it.

THE BRIDGING ARRANGEMENT As seen in FIGS. 2 and 12 bridging member 238 is mounted on the bed of the sewing machine surrounding the needle, the needle hole being indicated at N. As shown in FIG. 13, this member consists principally of two superposed, thin layers 238a and 238b of flexible metal such as nickel silver or stainless steel. The layers are joined together by soldering, brazing or welding except in the portions shown in the sectional view of FIG. 13. Pads 240 are provided on the underside of member 238 as indicated in FIG. 12 so that when mounted on the machine bed as shown in FIG. 2, clearance is provided for passage of one or more fabric plies under layer 238b.

The layers are cut out as shown in FIG. 12 to leave a wirelike longitudinally extending bridge 241 which assists in separating the plies after they are sewn together. This bridge is positioned adjacent the needle path when member 328 is installed as indicated in FIG. 12, with the bridge centered in a mating groove in the sole of the presser foot (not shown). The outlet ends of layers 238a and 238b are separated to permit passage between them of the stitching formed in the plies by the sewing instrumentalities.

Under layer 238b is somewhat longer than the upper layer The layers overlap member 186 and portion 236 in the direction of passage of the garment section from the sewing machine to the ironing mechanism. Passage of the sewn together plies over and under the layers tends to compress them into a tight sandwich with member 186 and portion 236 interleaved, to form a continuous bridge extending from the outlet of the sewing machine to the inlet of the ironing mechanism.

This interleaved arrangement permits the buck to shift longitudinally in either direction without breaking the bridge. Layers 238aand 238k are long enough so that when the drag draws the buck rearwardly, the bridge is not disrupted. Shifting in the opposite direction when bumps pass between the stop members of the buck and main frame, or when the conveying members cease operation, merely causes buck leadon member 186 to move further downwardly between the layers.

The arrangement makes it convenient to remove the sewing head from the combination apparatus for replacement by another without requiring removal of, or damaging the bridging member.

SEPARATION OF THE FABRIC PLIES As the stitched plies pass over the bridging member they automatically pass onto the leadon member and portion (see' FIG. 4) with the free ply edges disposed about portion 236 and the part of the garment section which will subsequently be wrapped about the body of the buck disposed about member 186. Member 186 and portion 236 are of relatively thin cross section so that very little separation of the plies takes place initially. In order to retain control of the garment section during the interval between leaving the sewing machine and entry between the ironing members, it is desirable to maintain the plies in this relatively unopened state until they approach the position at which metal belt and internal belt 198 can clamp the fabric between them.

Inner edges 186a and 236a of the leadon member and portion are positioned closely together so that each edge can butt against its side of the line of stitching within the sewn plies (see FIGS. 4 and 6). This positioning, together with clamping pressure applied to the sewn portion as well as to the free ply edges by tires 331 and 332 on the peripheries of magnetically driven rollers 333 and 334 effectively restrains the sewn together plies from wandering as they travel toward the body of the buck and keeps the stitchline between the free ply edges aligned with the centerline of belt 198.

As the sewn together plies move further rearwardly, the free ply edges pass along the contoured inner surface 237a of the separator and spread apart as shown in FIG. 7 in which it will be noted that edges 186a and 236a are maintained in the desired close proximity and alignment which prevent wandering during ironing. As indicated in FIG. 8, the free ply edges will be almost fully turned back by contoured surface 237a as the rearwardly travelling fabric first reaches belt 198 and just slightly before it meets metal belt 175. FIG. 9 shows the fully opened free ply edges clamped between the belts.

THE CONVEYING MECHANISMS As in the mentioned patented case, feeding of the garment section through the ironing mechanism is accomplished in part by coaction of horizontal upper belt 52 and lower belt 26 (see FIG. 3). Belt 52 is wrapped around idler pulley 51 and engages the upper ply of the garment section, and belt 26 is wrapped around pulley 22 and engages the lower ply. A prepuller and a post puller have been added to improve handling of the fabric through the ironing mechanism. These are more fully described in application, Ser. No. 643,458. The prepuller utilizes feed members 333 and 334 to draw the fabric after it leaves the sewing machine and before engagement by the main conveying members. It assists in overcoming any tendency to wander during the subsequent ironing operation of the line of stitching between the opened free ply edges.

THE PREPULLER The constructional details which follow also apply to member 334. Referring to FIG. 4, member 333 is a disc having a somewhat larger diameter than pulley 51 and a large central bore 333 which surrounds hub 51A. A series of spaced openings 33317 are disposed about the central bore. A corresponding series of cylindrical magnetic slugs 333e are press fitted into openings 333b.

Pulley 51 is made of a magnetic material such as iron and is provided with flat face 51b. Slugs 3330 project slightly beyond a similar flat face 333d of disc 333 to reduce frictional engagement between the flat faces when member 333 is coupled with pulley 51. Since the slugs are magnetically attracted to face 51b of the pulley, disc 333 becomes attached to the pulley and rotates with it. The clearance between hub 51a and bore 333a permits the disc to slip in any direction across face 511; until restrained by contact of the wall of the bore with the hub and contact of the tire 331 on the periphery of the disc with members 186 and 236 through the fabric being fed.

As indicated in FIG. 5, the periphery of disc 333 is made up of a straight section 333e and a slightly tapered section 333f, both of which are surrounded by the tire. The tire is made of material such as a member of the rubber family, which will provide good frictional engagement with all types of fabrics.

Because the disc has a larger diameter than the pulley, as the disc rotates with the pulley, its periphery tries to go faster than the periphery of the pulley. This results in an action by which tire 331 is thrust against the fabric with considerable pressure which produces good feeding engagement between the tire and fabric. Although the entire disc can be displaced as necessary to accommodate any bumps, as it rotates it always tends to come back into engagement with the fabric after passage of bumps.

In order for the free ply edges to be opened right up to the line of stitching, they must negotiate the complex slopes on both faces of portion 236 of the separator which are part of the contoured surface 237a which effects the eventual opening up of the edges as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. These slopes increase laterally to the right as viewed in FIG. 6 and also to the rear. The rearwardly moving fabric resists transverse movement across these slopes which is necessary for full opening up. Unlike the other portions of the fabric plies which are wrapped around the buck and which are pulled transversely in the opposite direction by the action of the large drive wheels such as 141 and 145 in FIG. 9, the free ply edges cannot be pulled transversely to bring about the desired full opening up.

A transverse pushing vector is therefore provided in the rearward feed action by putting a slight taper on the peripheries of the discs. Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the rotational speed of a point on the line of junction between portions 333e and 333f is greater than that of a point on a line at the right edge of portion 333f because of the difference in diameter. This differential in speed causes the fabric passing under these respective portions of the periphery to travel at different rates which skews the right side of the free ply edges to the right as the ply edges move rearwardly, and this causes the free ply edges to ride up the slopes until the stitching between the plies is restrained by contact with edge 2360. This transverse pushing vector works in conjunction with the close positioning of edges 186a of the buck and 236a of the separator previously mentioned to effect full opening of the free ply edges right up to the stitching just prior to engagement by the metal and buck belts.

Referring to FIG. 6, feeding of the plies by the discs is effected on the line of stitching joining the plies. Since this line of stitching is confined in a horizontal plane between edges 186a and 236a, and held in the slot or track formed between these edges in a vertical plane by the pressures applied to the top ply by disc 333 initially and on the bottom ply by disc 334 a little later, the stitchline is retained in correct relation so that when the fabric moves rearwardly to open up the free ply edges, the stitchline between the opened free edges will be aligned with the horizontal centerline of buck belt 198. This results in an ironed seam in which the plies are in true butt relation without any overlap either upwardly or downwardly.

APPARATUS DRIVE MECHANISM Referring to FIG. 16, transmitter 149a has an output shaft 14% which carries pulley 149a which receives the usual sewing machine drive belt, and pulley 149d. Idler pulleys 1492 and 149f are rotatably supported on jackshaft 149g and belt 149h connects pulleys 149d and 149e to drive pulley 149f. A second jackshaft 149i carries pulley 149j at one end and one-half of a disconnectible coupling 149k at the other. Belt 149m connects pulleys 149f and 149j to drive shaft 149i and coupling 149k. The other half of the coupling is attached to input shaft of the variable speed transmission unit 162 (see FIG. 15 herein and FIG. 5 of the mentioned patented case).

Unit 162 which is also shown in FIG. 14 removed from the ironing mechanism and indicated in installed position in FIG. 1, has an output shaft which carries sprocket 163 which is connected by chain 164 with the sprocket (designated 161 in the parent case) which drives the ironing mechanism whenever the sewing machine operates. This unit is typically a ZERO- MAX speed changer unit of appropriate capacity which is commercially available and is so well known as to require no further description of its construction and operation other than to point out that shifting the output speed adjusting lever 166 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 14 reduces the output speed, and shifting it in the opposite direction increases the output speed. Shifting is normally effected by movement of screw 167 which may be manipulated by handwheel 168. In the unmodified device, positioning screw 167 engages a nutlike, internally threaded member which is pivotally connected with lever 166 so that appropriate rotation of the handwheel will cause lever 166 to move in the desired direction.

The optimum feed rate for the garment section through the ironing mechanism is approximately the same as that of the sewing machine but this rate differs from fabric to fabric depending upon nature and stretchiness and the relative effectiveness of the feed mechanisms of the sewing machine and the ironing mechanism for the same fabric. It is therefore desirable to be able to adjust the feed rate of the ironing mechanism to meet the requirements of the particular fabric being ironed and this can be optimumly set by manipulation of handwheel 168.

In the commercial version of the combined sewing and ironing apparatus, the handwheel is made conveniently accessible to the operator by extending the end of screw 167 by a flexible shaft as indicated in broken line so that the handwheel may be mounted on the sewing machine table in a position at which it is readily manipulatable.

NECESSITY FOR SLACK FABRIC One problem encountered in using ironing mechanism positioned immediately rearward of the sewing machine arises because the portion of the garment section being ironed is clamped between the ironing members, and because of the limited amount of give or elasticity of the fabric of the garment section, it has not been possible previously to sew successfully the type of seam which has a relatively long straight section followed by a curve inwardly inclined to the length of the buck. Such seams are typically found in trousers, slacks and skirts at the hip portion of the garment, which for certain valid production reasons, must be sewn in the sequential direction mentioned. In negotiating such curves, the operator must maintain a constant distance between the needle and the edge of the garment section. To achieve this, some slack must be available in front of the needle. When the previously sewn portion of the garment is clamped behind the needle, no slack is available in front of the needle to allow pivoting the unsewn portion about the needle to maintain this constant distance.

The arrangement about to be described makes it possible to sew such seams by use of mechanism which allows the operator to obtain slack in the portion of the garment section restrained between the ironing members and the needle whenever desired. Slack in this portion permits the operator to pivot the unsewn portion about the needle as required.

One way to provide this slack would be to operate the ironing mechanism at a slower rate than that of the sewing machine. However, on a continuous basis, this differential would quickly build up a surplus of fabric between the sewing machine and the inlet of the pressing mechanism and would quickly choke the inlet or else so bunch the fabric that wrinkling would occur in the ironed garment section.

The mechanism provided can be operated for any desired length of time to either substantially reduce or suspend feeding of the garment section through the ironing mechanism without discontinuing operation of the sewing machine and without disturbing the initial optimum feed rate set for the particular fabric being ironed as mentioned above.

THE SLACK FABRIC PRODUCING MECHANISM For the present purpose, the arrangement for shifting speed control lever 166 is modified as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. Transmission unit 162 is supported on the ironing mechanism by U-shaped member 169 to which the unit is secured. A pair of spaced brackets 167a and 1671; attached to the body of unit 162, provide joumalled supports for the ends of screw 167. Lever 166 is pierced as indicated in FIG. 14 to provide a passageway for screw 167.

Platform 1690 is slidably mounted, as by a dovetail connection, on the top edge of bracket 167!) so that the platform may move parallel to the length of screw 167. Lug 16% depending from platform 169a, is internally threaded and is engaged by screw 167. Bracket 167b is provided with elongated guide slot 167:: in which pin 1690 secured to a lug depending from plat form 169a, fits so that when platform 169a travels along the top edge of bracket l67b as screw 167 is rotated, the platform is stabilized. Limits of movement are fixed by the ends of the slot.

Air cylinder 169d secured to platform 169a, has a diaphragm actuated piston 1692 whose free end is linked to the top of lever 166. Normally, because of the air circuit arrangement used, piston l69e is fully retracted within cylinder 169d, and hence the position of lever 166 with respect to shifting the internal speed changing members of the transmission unit is fixed by this retracted position of the piston. Accordingly, if the position of platform 169a is shifted by rotation of the handwheel, the position of lever 166 will move to effect the desired speed change. Thus the initial position of lever 166 to set the desired output speed suitable for the particular fabric being processed in the apparatus is arrived at by the same manipulation of handwheel 168 as in the prior arrangement.

Cylinder 169d connected to a source of compressed air through a four way valve, is of the type which has air input ports on either side of the piston actuating diaphragm so that movement in either direction is positively controlled by admission of air to the proper port.

The valve is preferably of the solenoid actuated type operated through a switch connecting the solenoid to a source of electricity. In the present arrangement, the switch is part of a knee operated lever assembly similar to the usual presser bar knee lift arrangement.

The power stroke of the piston is adjusted to effect the proper amount of shifting of lever 166 to provide the desired reduction of output speed. Thus whenever in the adjustment of the operator it is desirable to obtain slack in the garment section being sewn andironed, pressure on the knee operated lever will close the switch to actuate the air cylinder to shift lever 166 to reduce the output speed of the transmission unit and accordingly, that of the conveying members of the ironing mechanism. Since the stroke of the piston is capable of being adjusted, it is possible to shift lever 166 sufficiently to effect discontinuance of operation of the conveying members.

The operator is thus able whenever desirable, to suspend the ironing operation completely, while continuing the sewing operation for pivoting around curves or for back tacking.

Danger of damage to the garment section by overheating when operation of the conveying members is reduced or suspended, is avoided because the speed sensitive switch normally disengages the ironing pods from the fabric whenever the speed of the conveying members falls below the lowest critical speed for which the speed sensitive switch is set when the switch is driven from one of the operating members of the ironing mechanism as in the parent case.

SPEED SENSITIVE SWITCH DEFEAT MECHANISM Because the presently available commercial speed sensitive switch operates more effectively with large differentials between operating speeds, a variation of the circuit shown in FIG. 21 of the mentioned patented case is provided for the present version of the combined sewing and ironing apparatus. Referring to FIG. 17, switch 225 is driven from the sewing machine transmitter which operates in synchronism with the ironing mechanism, but at a higher rate of speed. With this arrangement, while the sewing machine continues operation when operation of the conveying members of the ironing mechanism is reduced or suspended, the heat pods continue to be thrust toward the metal belt.

To prevent this, it is necessary to use an auxiliary switch 232 of the normally closed configuration, inserted in series with either of the power supply lines which feed the circuits to the solenoid valves operated by the speed sensitive switch. When the knee lever control is actuated to reduce speed or suspend operation of the ironing mechanism, the switch contacts are opened to defeat operation of the speed sensitive switch for as long as the knee lever is depressed. This prevents application of the heat pods regardless of the speed of the sewing machine.

SEAM FOLDING The two typesof folding of seams shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can readily be produced with the bridging arrangement shown in FIG 12. The folding of the seam shown in FIG. 10 is that which is normally produced when the top free ply edge passes over top layer 2380 and the bottom free ply edge passes under layer 2381).

The folding shown in FIG. 11 can be produced by passing both free ply edges over layer 238a. After the seam is sewn, bridge 241 guides both free ply edges so that they pass over the top surface of separator portion 236 before being engaged between the buck belt and the metal belt. The showing of FIG. 11 is merely representative of the folding produced by such handling. In actuality, the free ply edges would be pressed closely to the fabric of the upper ply.

By directing both free ply. edges under layer 238b, the downwardly folded free ply edges would be ironed so that they would be pressed closely to the fabric of the lower ply. Other variations in folding of the seam edges are obviously within the skill of the folder maker.

The words prepuller and prefeeder" used in the foregoing specification and in the following claims are interchangeable, and are intended to designate auxiliary fabric plies feeding mechanism which functions to transport the sewn plies emerging from the sewing machine outlet to the region of the ironing mechanism at which the main conveying members are active and effective to apply traction to the fabric of the sewn plies. The main and auxiliary feed actions are not necessarily exclusive and may be applied concurrently to adjacent regions of the fabric.

What is claimed, is:

1. Apparatus for sewing fabric plies together and for ironing portions of the free margins and the adjacent fabric of the joined plies, comprising: a sewing machine having stitching and feeding mechanisms for join seaming the fabric plies leaving free margins; a drive source for the sewing machine; ironing mechanism arranged in tandem with the sewing machine and having ironing elements, and means for engaging and transporting the fabric plies between the ironing elements; a speed changing transmission unit connected with said drive source arranged to drive the fabric transporting means of the ironing mechanism; and means for selectively actuating the transmission unit to reduce the speed of the fabric transporting means independently of the operating speed of the sewing machine.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the ironing elements include a moving heat transfer belt and means for driving the belt, at least one heated element and means for bringing the heated element into contact with the moving heat transfer belt; in which the apparatus includes means responsive to the speed of operation of the sewing machine for bringing the heated element into contact with the moving heat transfer belt; and means for automatically defeating operation of the speed responsive means; said defeat means becoming effective only when the selective means for actuating the transmission unit to reduce the speed rate of the fabric transporting members is operated.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the speed changing transmission has an external, shiftable lever for operating the internal members to change the output speed of the unit; a cylinder having a fluid actuated piston; a link connecting the piston and the lever; a valve connecting the cylinder with a source of fluid under pressure; and operator actuated control means for selectively operating the valve to supply the fluid to the cylinder to shift the lever in a direction which reduces the output speed of the transmission unit.

4. Apparatus for sewing fabric plies together and for ironing portions of the free margins and adjacent fabric of the joined plies, comprising a sewing machine having stitching and feeding mechanisms for join seaming the fabric plies leaving free margins,; ironing mechanism arranged in tandem with the sewing machine and having inlet members; and a demountable bridging member connecting the outlet of the sewing machine with the inlet members of the ironing mechanism and around which the sewn together fabric plies move to the ironing mechanism; said bridging member having a portion consisting of two separable, flexible superposed layers between which at least one of the inlet members of the ironing mechanism may be interleaved.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said sewing machine is mounted in a sewing stand having hinges for supporting the sewing machine so that it can be rotated bodily backwards; and in which the flexible superposed layers are adapted to permit backward rotation of the sewing machine for threading or servicing without separation of the inter- I tary bridging member comprising a pair of spaced apart flexible members having leading and trailing ends, the trailing ends of said members including superposed thin layers, means extending in a single horizontal plane securing said flexible members together for attachment to the sewing machine wherein the superposed thin layers can freely receive a portion of the ironing mechanism therebetween, one of said flexible members further including a longitudinally extending guide means interconnected between its leading and trailing ends wherein said guide means is adapted to extend along a linear path past the sewing mechanism to separate plies of material after they are sewn together.

7. Feeding and guiding mechanism for fabric plies which are sewn together in a line of stitching joining the upper and lower plies, for transporting the plies from the outlet of a sewing machine to the inlet of a subsequent processing mechanism, comprising: a pair of thin, ply separating guide members coextending from said outlet to said inlet; said guide members having ed es ositioned ad'acent each other to form a narrow slot throug w 1ch the stitc ng oinlng the plies may pass, with the said edges disposed on opposite sides of the line of stitching; a feed roller mounted for rotation adjacent the separating members; means for rotating the feed roller; the periphery of said roller having a surface arrangement which is adapted to maintain driving contact with a fabric ply being drawn over the top surface of said guide members and to urge the fabric ply laterally so that the line of stitching is confined to the slot.

8. Feeding mechanism according to claim 7 having a second feed roller mounted for rotation adjacent the separating members; means for rotating said second roller; the periphery of said second roller having a surface arrangement adapted to maintain driving contact with a fabric ply passing under said guide members and to urge said fabric ply laterally so that the line of stitching is confined to the slot.

9. Feeding mechanism according to claim 7 in which the means for rotating the feed roller comprises a driven rotating member, and means for coupling the roller with the rotating member for rotation therewith while permitting the roller to slip radially in any direction; and cooperating axial means on said members for limiting such slippage in conjunction with the guide members.

10. Feeding mechanism according to claim 7 in which the periphery of the feed roller has a straight portion adjoining a tapering portion so that points on adjoining portions of the periphery travel at different rates of speed to produce a skewing action in the direction of taper when the periphery of the roller engages fabric on the supporting surface. 

1. Apparatus for sewing fabric plies together and for ironing portions of the free margins and the adjacent fabric of the joined plies, comprising: a sewing machine having stitching and feeding mechanisms for join seaming the fabric plies leaving free margins; a drive source for the sewing machine; ironing mechanism arranged in tandem with the sewing machine and having ironing elements, and means for engaging and transporting the fabric plies between the ironing elements; a speed changing transmission unit connected with said drive source arranged to drive the fabric transporting means of the ironing mechanism; and means for selectively actuating the transmission unit to reduce the speed of the fabric transporting means independently of the operating speed of the sewing machine.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the ironing elements include a moving heat transfer belt and means for driving the belt, at least one heated element and means for bringing the heated element into contact with the moving heat transfer belt; in which the apparatus includes means responsive to the speed of operation of the sewing machine for bringing the heated element into contact with the moving heat transfer belt; and means for automatically defeatiNg operation of the speed responsive means; said defeat means becoming effective only when the selective means for actuating the transmission unit to reduce the speed rate of the fabric transporting members is operated.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the speed changing transmission has an external, shiftable lever for operating the internal members to change the output speed of the unit; a cylinder having a fluid actuated piston; a link connecting the piston and the lever; a valve connecting the cylinder with a source of fluid under pressure; and operator actuated control means for selectively operating the valve to supply the fluid to the cylinder to shift the lever in a direction which reduces the output speed of the transmission unit.
 4. Apparatus for sewing fabric plies together and for ironing portions of the free margins and adjacent fabric of the joined plies, comprising a sewing machine having stitching and feeding mechanisms for join seaming the fabric plies leaving free margins,; ironing mechanism arranged in tandem with the sewing machine and having inlet members; and a demountable bridging member connecting the outlet of the sewing machine with the inlet members of the ironing mechanism and around which the sewn together fabric plies move to the ironing mechanism; said bridging member having a portion consisting of two separable, flexible superposed layers between which at least one of the inlet members of the ironing mechanism may be interleaved.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said sewing machine is mounted in a sewing stand having hinges for supporting the sewing machine so that it can be rotated bodily backwards; and in which the flexible superposed layers are adapted to permit backward rotation of the sewing machine for threading or servicing without separation of the interleaved inlet members.
 6. As an article of manufacture for use with an ironing mechanism arranged in tandem with a sewing machine, a unitary bridging member comprising a pair of spaced apart flexible members having leading and trailing ends, the trailing ends of said members including superposed thin layers, means extending in a single horizontal plane securing said flexible members together for attachment to the sewing machine wherein the superposed thin layers can freely receive a portion of the ironing mechanism therebetween, one of said flexible members further including a longitudinally extending guide means interconnected between its leading and trailing ends wherein said guide means is adapted to extend along a linear path past the sewing mechanism to separate plies of material after they are sewn together.
 7. Feeding and guiding mechanism for fabric plies which are sewn together in a line of stitching joining the upper and lower plies, for transporting the plies from the outlet of a sewing machine to the inlet of a subsequent processing mechanism, comprising: a pair of thin, ply separating guide members coextending from said outlet to said inlet; said guide members having edges positioned adjacent each other to form a narrow slot through which the stitching joining the plies may pass, with the said edges disposed on opposite sides of the line of stitching; a feed roller mounted for rotation adjacent the separating members; means for rotating the feed roller; the periphery of said roller having a surface arrangement which is adapted to maintain driving contact with a fabric ply being drawn over the top surface of said guide members and to urge the fabric ply laterally so that the line of stitching is confined to the slot.
 8. Feeding mechanism according to claim 7 having a second feed roller mounted for rotation adjacent the separating members; means for rotating said second roller; the periphery of said second roller having a surface arrangement adapted to maintain driving contact with a fabric ply passing under said guide members and to urge said fabric ply laterally so that the line of stitching is confined to the slot.
 9. Feeding mechanism according to claim 7 in which the means for rotating the feed roller comprises a driven rotating member, and means for coupling the roller with the rotating member for rotation therewith while permitting the roller to slip radially in any direction; and cooperating axial means on said members for limiting such slippage in conjunction with the guide members.
 10. Feeding mechanism according to claim 7 in which the periphery of the feed roller has a straight portion adjoining a tapering portion so that points on adjoining portions of the periphery travel at different rates of speed to produce a skewing action in the direction of taper when the periphery of the roller engages fabric on the supporting surface. 